Eric Migicovsky, the man who brought the world the Pebble smartwatch, still wears his. Thirteen years after founding the wearables company that achieved phenomenal success on Kickstarter, and eight years after its acquisition by Fitbit (which was subsequently swallowed by Google), Migicovsky's Pebble continues to tick. (He was recently spotted at CES sporting a white Pebble Time Round, though he admits to owning a whole collection.) Despite the fact that software updates ceased in December 2016, his trusty Pebble soldiers on. However, Migicovsky has long harbored concerns about its longevity. Will notifications eventually cease? Will it lose its connection to his phone? Will some unforeseen issue finally render it obsolete?
Instead of succumbing to the allure of a newer smartwatch, Migicovsky has embarked on a mission to resurrect Pebble. Following the sale of his latest venture, the messaging app Beeper, to Automattic last year, and his subsequent departure from the company, Migicovsky began contemplating the revival of Pebble. Initially, he considered building a similar product from scratch, reasoning that recreating something already achieved would be simpler. "But then I thought, what if I just asked Google to open-source the operating system?" he recounts. It seemed like a long shot, considering the code was presumably gathering dust within Google's vast digital archives. Nevertheless, he persisted, asking repeatedly.
To Migicovsky's astonishment, Google agreed. As of Monday, the complete Pebble firmware is available on GitHub. And Migicovsky is launching a new company to carry the Pebble torch forward.
This new venture, currently without an official name (Google retains ownership of the "Pebble" brand), is operating under the placeholder RePebble, where Migicovsky is building a waitlist and gathering news sign-ups. The plan is to begin shipping new wearables later this year, devices that will emulate the look, feel, and functionality of the original Pebbles.
Migicovsky's motivation is straightforward: "I've tried literally everything else," he explains, "and nothing else comes close." While acknowledging that others find satisfaction in the offerings of Apple, Garmin, Google, and other smartwatch manufacturers, he argues that nothing has truly replicated the unique Pebble experience. "For what I want in a smartwatch – a good e-paper screen, long battery life, a streamlined and user-friendly interface, and hackability – there's simply nothing else out there."
The essence of Pebble, he asserts, lies in its distinct characteristics. A Pebble should be quirky, fun, and undeniably a gadget. It should excel at displaying notifications, controlling music playback via physical buttons, boasting impressive battery life, and resisting the temptation to overload users with unnecessary features. While Migicovsky hints at broader Pebble-inspired ambitions beyond smartwatches, his immediate focus is firmly on reviving the smartwatch.
If this sounds like a faithful recreation of the original Pebble, that's precisely the intention. Migicovsky emphasizes repeatedly that the goal is not to reinvent Pebble, to infuse it with excessive AI capabilities, or to follow the typical trajectory of a 2025 hardware startup. The fact that his own Pebble remains functional and continues to meet his needs underscores the idea that Pebble might have already achieved its optimal form. "We're building a spiritual clone of Pebble," he clarifies, "because there's not much I actually want to change."
However, the landscape of technology has shifted significantly in the past eight years. Google, Apple, and Samsung now offer sophisticated smartwatches deeply integrated into their respective ecosystems. Pebble, particularly with iOS compatibility, often struggled with feature access, a challenge that is unlikely to diminish. Smartwatches have evolved into primarily health and fitness trackers, becoming increasingly complex and feature-rich. Google, unsurprisingly, doesn't perceive a revived Pebble as a threat; its strategy involves pursuing a different path altogether.
A crucial difference this time around lies in the company's operational model. In a 2022 blog post, Migicovsky reflected on the factors that contributed to Pebble's initial downfall, attributing it partly to the influence of venture capital and the changes it wrought within the company. Having achieved financial success with Beeper and his subsequent role as an investor at Y Combinator, Migicovsky's new company is entirely his own. Currently, it comprises Migicovsky and a small team of part-time employees. While growth is anticipated, it will be carefully managed. "The core thing here is: sustainable," he stresses.
Migicovsky also envisions fostering a thriving open-source community around Pebble OS. The Pebble faithful still exist. Groups like Rebble have diligently maintained many of the platform's apps, along with the Cobble app for phone connectivity. The Pebble subreddit remains surprisingly active, a testament to the enduring appeal of a product that hasn't received official updates in years. Migicovsky intends to open-source all of his company's creations, hoping to inspire others to contribute. "There's going to be the ability for anyone who wants to, to take Pebble source code, compile it, run it on their Pebbles, build new Pebbles, build new watches," he explains. "They could even use it in random other hardware. Who knows what people can do with it now?"
Migicovsky cautions that this endeavor will require time. He only recently received confirmation from Google regarding the open-sourcing of the software, and he hasn't yet had the opportunity to work with it. However, he is already developing hardware prototypes, and his vision for the new Pebbles is crystal clear. He possesses the knowledge and experience, having successfully navigated this terrain once before. The proof resides on his wrist. His objective is simply to ensure that it remains there.
This resurrection of Pebble is more than just a nostalgic trip. It's a testament to the power of open-source software, the enduring appeal of simplicity, and the unwavering dedication of a community. It's a reminder that in the ever-evolving world of technology, sometimes the best innovations are the ones that stay true to their original vision. The return of Pebble is not just the return of a smartwatch; it's the return of a philosophy. A philosophy that values user experience over feature bloat, longevity over planned obsolescence, and the freedom to tinker over the constraints of proprietary systems. It's a philosophy that resonates with a growing number of users who are tired of the relentless pursuit of the "next big thing" and yearn for the reliability and simplicity of the tech they love. The RePebble project is not just about recreating a product; it's about reigniting a spark, a spark of innovation, a spark of community, and a spark of nostalgia. It's a spark that has the potential to ignite a new era of wearable technology, one that prioritizes user empowerment and sustainable hardware. The world is watching, waiting to see if the Pebble can once again make a splash.
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